James W T Hogg

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Another species that spans Eurasia at mid-high latitudes. Ssp. Dendrocopos major japonicus

Hokkaido, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birding #hokkaido #woodpecker

Thanks Richard, if anyone knows it’s you 🙏

I spent quite a long time trying to decide what these were at the time and clearly got it wrong. Though I’m sure we had both Willow and Marsh at different times. The Ssp in Japan did seem closer in appearance to each other than those in W Europe.

Thank you 🙏

Willow Tit

Yet another widely ranging species across mid-high latitude Eurasia. This one being Ssp. Poecile montanus restrictus - endemic to Japan.

Hokkaido, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birdjng #birdphotography #hokkaido

There always one…

The #Birdoftheday theme being “shout it out”.

Slaty-backed Gulls and Pelagic Cormorants.

Hokkaido, Dec 25 - it was even colder than it looks.

#birds #birding #birdphotography #hokkaido #japan

Short-eared Owl

A winter visitor to Hokkaido, probs from Russia (east Siberia, Kamchatka).

Widespread and on most continents except Australasia and Antarctica. This one seen in Japan, but the same Ssp. as nearly all of the Nth hemisphere.

#birds #birding #owls #hokkaido

Thank you 🙏

Japanese Red Squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris orientis

A sub-species of Eurasian Red Squirrel that is endemic to Hokkaido.

Rather cute!

Hokkaido, Dec 25

#squirrels #hokkaido #mammals #wildlifephotography

For taxonomy fans, this is Sitta europaea clara. The last part of the trinomial refers to Clara Stein, the wife of a German taxidermist.

Eurasian Nuthatch

An enormous range across the much of Eurasia. Like the Jay i posted there is a lot of variation across the range, the birds in Hokkaido are very clean and almost a bit icy compared to the UK birds.

Hokkaido, Dec 25

#birds #birding #birdphotography #hokkaido

Charming little birds. I saw quite a few of these on our trip, the best sighting was a few as part of a little mixed winter feeding flock. They certainly made a chilly walk worthwhile…

Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker

A small 13-15cm woodpecker found in Japan (as the name suggests) and also parts of E Russia, E China, N & S Korea.

Hokkaido, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birding #birdphotography #hokkaido

Birds (Ssp. Garrulus glandarius bambergi) in Japan look really quite different to the birds in the UK, note the really orangey head and dark iris.

A smart looking bird in any case, and really good at hiding nuts. Forgotten nuts can grow into trees, so these birds are beneficial for reforestation.

Eurasian (Brandt’s) Jay

This species has a huge range across much of Eurasia, the Middle East, parts of North Africa, parts of SE Asia and Japan. There is quite a lot of variation across the range.

Hokkaido, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birding #birdphotography #hokkaido

Japanese Raccoon Dog or Tanuki

Canid, endemic to Japan. In 🇯🇵 folklore, they are mischievous, jolly, shape shifting masters of disguise who play their belly drums to scare unsuspecting travellers. See the film Pom Poko.

Tsurui, Hokkaido, Dec 25

#mammals #wildlifephotography #hokkaido #japan

Masked Bunting

A cool little bird that breeds in forests in N Japan and Russia, then winters in S Japan. This one at Kasai Rinkai park near Tokyo.

Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birding #birdphotography #japan

Dusky Thrush

I saw quite a few of these, my first at Kasai Rinkai Park, set against a backdrop of pink flowers was especially memorable.

Breeds central and eastern Siberia, winters in China, the Koreas, Japan, Taiwan.

Kasei Rinkai Park, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birding #birdphotography #japan

P 5 & 6. Is an immature.

On winter mornings you can see considerable numbers of eagles warming up around Furen Lake, Hokkaido. Quite magical on a still sunny day. Bloody freezing otherwise…

#japan #naturephotography

White-tailed Eagle

A widely distributed species across Eurasia. They eat a lot of fish, but also mammals and birds.

Pic 4. Additional aStellar’s Sea-Eagle and Black-headed Gull.

Dec 25, Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan

#birds #birding #birdphotography #hokkaido

Bull-head Shrike

Kasai Rinkai Park, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birding #japan #birdphotography

Brown-eared Bulbul

A common bird in Tokyo parks and other places we visited. Their spooky call does grate after a while. Screechy and with a fingernails on a blackboard quality. Surprisingly hard to photo unless at a feeder.

Hokkaido, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #birding #birdphotography #hokkaido

I’d also recommend “Owls of the Eastern Ice” by Jonathan Slaight, very entertaining.

The M has an injured eye, but that doesn’t stop it catching mice or fish, it’s apparently 27 years old. The F was much more shy and mostly stayed up a tree.

A contender for the world’s heaviest owl and Vu to extinction. The Japanese birds might get split off from the Russia/China birds too.

There are a couple of regular spots to see these in Hokkaido. We saw a pair on the first night at about 9pm, but didn’t see them again as they showed up well past bed time. What was quite fun was reception calling those staying at the Onsen to come and have a look, everyone was truly thrilled.

Blakiston’s Fish Owl

The most exciting bird we saw in Japan, an amazing, beautiful creature. I was thrilled to bits seeing them!

Nos. 1-6 the male. No. 7 female. No. 8 the aging, heavy, weatherworn (but handsome) male…

Yoroushi, Hokkaido, Japan, Dec 25

#birds #owl #birdphotography #hokkaido

Vulnerable to extinction. These were nearly wiped out, in Japan but the bird was saved, on Hokkaido. Elsewhere it’s found in Russia, China, Korea, Mongolia, where the populations are still likely in decline. Conservation never stops…

Akan Crane Sanctuary and Lake Furen, Hokkaido, Japan, Dec 25

Red-Crowned or Japanese Crane

These are a national monument in Japan. Featuring on money, the airline logo etc. Japan seems pretty keen on making wildlife a cute cartoon and slapping it on anything you can sell…

#birds #birding #japan #birdphotography #hokkaido

Stellar’s Sea Eagle

Boss-level, cool AF birds… Saw plenty of these, never managed to get a really crispy photo, but these are good enough.

Lake Furen, Hokkaido, Japan. Dec 25

#birds #birding #eagle #birdphotography #hokkaido

Baillon’s Crake

A rare migrant to SG. I recall trying to see these tiny waterbirds on early mornings at Macaneta, Mozambique. I never got a view this good

Singapore, Dec 2025

#birds #birding #birdphotography #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #crake #waterbirds #birdsseenin2025 #singapore

Singapore round up…

1 & 4. Grey Nightjar

2. Lesser Whistling-Duck.

3. Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo.

Singapore Nov/Dec 25

#birds #birding #birdphotography #nature #naturephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #cuckoo #duck #nightjar #birdsseenin2025